Jury selection resumes for Murray's trial: several prospects cleared
Updated: 2011-09-09 16:08
The search for jurors in the trial against Conrad Murray arrives at the second day of jury selection with the hearing of Friday morning.
Murray was also present.
There was some who tittered when the judge asked whether anyone was unaware of the case against Conrad Murray, but no one raised a hand to indicate unfamiliarity with the proceedings.
"I anticipate, as much as I can anticipate anything, that we will have a sufficient number of prospective jurors by the end of today," Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor told lawyers.
During this morning hearing, Pastor conducted a moment of silence to honor the victims of the September 11, 2001.
Of 187 potential jurors screened Thursday, 115 were dismissed for hardship reasons, a court spokeswoman said. The remaining 72 were given a questionnaire, about 30 pages long, to determine if they can put aside biases and what they've heard about the pop star's death to reach a fair verdict.
Another group of about 140 gathered at the downtown Los Angeles County courthouse to be screened on Friday. Those who qualify will return to court on September 23 for the face-to-face voir dire process, which will whittle their numbers down to 12 jurors and about six alternates.
Pastor said Friday that what he was looking for was not a jury that was completely in the dark, but one that could be fair and set aside what they already know about the case. He emphasized they will need to carefully avoid outside information related to the case, particularly information online.
Seventy-two jurors have made it through the first day of screenings, and filled out lengthy questionnaires on their backgrounds and opinions to be pored over by attorneys as they select the panel to decide the involuntary manslaughter case.
"The electronic age is upon us," said Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, "and there are numerous mechanical devices for obtaining information."
He reiterated concerns that the final jury chosen for the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray will be unable to resist the lure of the Web.
"Some of us can't avoid sharing our thoughts with a quarter of a million people every day," he said in a reference to social networking. "We trust them ... but we don't know what their agenda is."
For much of his 40-minute speech to the jury pool, Pastor insisted on the need to stay away from outside information about the trial. He mentioned Internet blogs, radio talk shows, TV, newspapers, magazines or even conversations with friends.
As on the first day of jury selection Thursday, not one person in Friday's group of about 140 prospects raised a hand when asked if they didn't know about the case. A few laughed lightly at the question.
Pastor told the panel he was doing a favor for the final jury by not sequestering them.
"I don't want to treat you like prisoners," he said. "I don't think it's healthy for you. It brings in an element of stress and anxiety that's not good for you."
In return, he said, they must voluntarily alter their lifestyles to avoid input about the case from outside the courtroom.
"Jurors are required to exercise discipline and restraint," he said. "The parties in this case are depending on your integrity."
Outside their presence, Pastor told lawyers he expected to have cleared about 100 prospective jurors to form a complete pool by the end of the day. More than half of the 187 people who reported for jury duty Thursday were dismissed because they could not devote the amount of time needed to hear the case.
Those who qualify will return to court on September 23 for the face-to-face voir dire process, which will whittle their numbers down to 12 jurors and about six alternates.
Pastor had reserved Monday to continue jury selection if a sizeable pool could not be found.
The first phase of jury selection in the trial of Murray has concluded with the 145 prospective jurors cleared for further questioning in the high profile involuntary manslaughter trial.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor decided Friday afternoon that there were sufficient prospective jurors available to go on to the next phase — in-court questioning.
In-person questioning of jurors will begin on September 23. By then, some of those who filled out questionnaires will have been dismissed if they expressed extreme bias in writing.
Opening statements for the trial, which will be televised, are scheduled for September 27. The judge told the jury pool he expects their service will be over on or about October 28.
MJFS - sources: AP / cnn.com